Halloran: In sports, we can’t always handle the truth
I’m not going to lie to you — lying can be awesome! Honestly, ask anyone. Well, don’t ask anyone. Ask the people who do it well and do it regularly. They can’t help themselves. To guys like Scott Boras, Roger Clemens, Jeff Jagodzinski and apparently, just about every coach, athlete, GM or AD whoever stepped in front of a microphone, lying must be like dreamy, creamy chocolate. They just can’t get enough of it. Maybe they just went to the George Costanza school of logic that says, “It’s not a lie ... if you believe it.”
But even for the truth abusers, lying’s not quite as good as it seems. At first, the lie is a path that leads away from trouble, or maybe it’s a path toward something you want. There’s a rush and a high that comes as it begins to appear as though you’ve gotten away with it, and then again when it looks like you might get caught. There’s an exhilarating kind of stress associated with the need to compound one lie with another, and another. The lie is like a bowl of potato chips sitting next to you as you watch a football game. It tempts you. Calls out to you. Maybe even mocks you. But you know what? It’s bad for you.
The lie is what got Jagodzinski fired. He first lied when he told Boston College he’d be around for the length of his contact. Then he lied about his interview with the Jets. Maybe he didn’t believe he was lying two years ago. If so, he was lying to himself. If not, he was lying to his boss and a bunch of kids. Now, he’s unemployed, and worse, he’s untrustworthy.
The lie is why Manny Ramirez is still a gun for hire. He also refused to honor his contract in Boston. That and his reported fibs about injuries have made him less valuable than he thought.
The lie is why Jason Varitek can’t find work. He lied to himself about his own talents.
And the lie is what we’ve come to expect, and worse, accept. Dishonesty is part of the game played by the men who play the games. We know it, understand it and forgive it without apology. Of course, coaches lie about injuries. Of course, GMs lie about trades. Of course, agents lie. Of course, Jags lied. If he had told the truth, he never would have gotten the job. Truth was his enemy. And the lie shall set him free!
Politicians, businessmen, management, employees, athletes — liars! All of them. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Truthfully, I don’t believe it. Even I’m not that cynical — yet.
Bob Halloran is a sports anchor and reporter. He’s also the author of “Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward,” published by The Lyons Press.
